Second Chances
by stormy-angel-lost
Summary: First fanfic. Not really much of a summary. It's short and what I think should have happened.


DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine. Never will be. But sure would be nice.  
  
SUMMARY: This is just my take on what should have happened following the events of "Hells Bells" in season six. First fanfic so please be patient.  
  
A/N: Saffronangel cowrote this story with me a long time ago. We just found it and decided to post it here. Have fun.  
  
SECOND CHANCES  
  
After a long year of thinking, Anya had decided to give Xander a second chance. Not the easiest decision to come to. She had hoped to turn to Buffy for advice but Buffy, at the time, was having a few problems of her own with Spike and Dawn, who had been trying to date secretively but with no luck thanks to the nosy group of their friends.  
  
Anyway Anya stopped and thought for a moment, realizing that she was definitely no angel and Xander had to have had an extremely good reason for running out the way he did. After all, she was an ex-demon and who's to say that, had he truly screwed the pooch, her demon friends wouldn't have exacted her vengence for her.  
  
Deciding to take Xander back took a lot of deep soul-searching. She did make the decision though and decided that this time they were going to go at a much slower pace.  
  
However, her good intentions (taking Xander back and giving him a second chance) were put on hold when she saw Xander consoling Buffy who had just caught Spike and Dawn in a rather delicate situation. She decided to take Dawn out of the room so that Xander and Buffy could talk to the former vampire (who was more than just a little embarrassed at being caught with Dawn).  
  
The thought had crossed Spike's mind when he realized that he was alone in a room with just Buffy and Xander that he no longer had his vampire strength which meant that, should Buffy decide to, it wouldn't take much with her Slayer strength to but his ass in the hospital. In the meantime, Dawn was in another room with Willow and Anya, trying to convince them that she and Spike truly loved each other. She was crying as she begged them to not let Buffy hurt him.  
  
In the mean time Xander and Willow take Buffy to the Bronze to cheer her up. But what Willow doesn't know is the Dingo's are playing. The three of them were sitting at their usual table right next to the dance floor with Xander telling the girls about the large construction contract that his company had just gotten which was going to make him quite comfortably well off, for a while at least, when the announcement was made. "And now, all the way from Los Angeles and fresh from the studio, a local band that we all know and love. Dingoes Ate My Baby!"  
  
Willow went completely still when she heard the name of the band. She was almost afraid to turn around. Afraid to see if Oz was there. "Willow, look!" Buffy whispered loudly. At that, Willow spun in her seat to find Oz staring right at her smiling. She smiled back and feels a blush color her cheeks. Buffy elbowed Xander in the background, giggling.  
  
Willow didn't move from that position during the entire set. But once they stopped for a break, even Buffy, with her Slayer strength, couldn't have kept Willow from running up to the stage. When she and Oz were face to face again for the first time in over two years, she just kind of smiled at him, remembering the akward moments during the conversation after finding out that he was a werewolf.  
  
"So when did you guys get back?"  
  
"Pretty much now," came the calm response. "I know we haven't talked in a long time. I'll understand if you want me to stay out of your way."  
  
"But -- I'm kind of comfortable with you being in my way."  
  
"You mean you'd still---"  
  
"I like you. More than like. You were my first. My first true love. We went through a lot. But a part of me has always waited for you. Will always wait for you. Like if I'm old and blue-haired and I turn the corner in Istanbul and there you are I won't be surprised."  
  
"You really are quite the human."  
  
"So I'd still if you'd still."  
  
"I'd still. I'd very still."  
  
She smiled. "Okay." Then, a little more seriously, "No biting."  
  
"Agreed." He smiled. "Didn't we have this conversation before?"  
  
"I think so." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Just then, the DJ started playing a slow song.  
  
"Should we --?" Oz started. Willow nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. Oz chuckled a bit and pulled Willow a little closer as they started to dance. As they danced, neither one said anything, just happy to be together again.  
  
After the band's second set, they called it a night. Willow hung around while they packed up their instruments. Then, she and Oz went for a walk. "I heard that you lost Tara."  
  
Willow looked at the ground and nodded. "When she was gone, I went a little crazy with the magicks. I did things I'm not proud of. I really don't like to talk about it."  
  
"But Willow, that's one thing I've learned. Emotions like that need to be brought out in the open. My emotions are what used to trigger the wolf because I didn't deal with them. I just pushed them away and pretended that they didn't exist."  
  
Willow looked up at him. "You mean like the way you felt when you realized that I hadn't told you about me and Tara?"  
  
"Precisely. I was hurt and didn't know any other way to deal. You did something serious and until you come to terms with the guilt and the shame that you feel over that, you stand a chance of doing the same thing again."  
  
"You mean you've learned to control the triggers for the wolf?"  
  
"No. I mean I've learned to deal with my emotions in a better way. That just means that I don't need the wolf to deal with them for me. That allows me to totally control the wolf."  
  
They continued to walk and talk until sometime around dawn. When they realized that they were standing on the cliff overlooking Sunnydale watching the sun rise, they laughed and sat down. Over the course of the night, they had discussed everything that had been taking place in Sunnydale. From the fact that Buffy had a part time job (her manager knew that she was the Slayer and worked with her) to the fact that Spike was helping out around the house while dating Dawn. Dawn and Willow both worked part time for a major software concern as one heck of a troubleshooting team. Willow was working part time but had the full time benefits while she finished her college courses.  
  
Dawn's grades had improved drastically since Spike came back. She had been so worried that she'd never see him again. But when he came back human, which no one had expected, Dawn vowed that she would make him proud of her. To which he had said that he could never be disappointed in her.  
  
Anya was still running the Magic Box and, in fact, thinking of opening a second store in Los Angeles. After the whole incident following Tara's death, Willow had spent 6 months in England with Giles, learning self- control and a few Watcher techniques. In fact she had learned so much that, upon her return she was posted as Buffy's Watcher-in-training. She even had more help than Giles knew of since Buffy's manager was the child of a former Watcher and works with Willow.  
  
Spike had written up a book about the first few years of his life as a vampire and submitted it to a publishing house as fiction. They had snapped it up and paid him handsomely, offering him a contract for 6 more books over 4 more years. When the first book hit the shelves, it went straight to number one on the New York Times Bestseller list. So now, Buffy can take college courses if she wants to.  
  
Sometime in the past year, Spike's chip had shorted out and now, on occasion, triggers for apparently no reason whatsoever. It gives him massive headaches which take him out of the picture for several days at a time.  
  
Angel, through Wesley (who is Willow's support person), has been keeping up on how things are going on in Sunnydale. All except the Spike and Dawn issue. After about a year, Spike and Dawn start talking wedding plans.  
  
Spike is in a Big Brother program but having a difficult time. People recognize him as the author he now is.  
  
Xander and Anya have started dating again, at a much slower pace than the last time. Everything in Sunnydale seems to be going as well as can be expected for a Hellmouth when Connor shows up. Apparently, Angel had picked up on the fact that Wesley hadn't been telling him everything and sent Connor to check up on things.  
  
When Connor first meets Dawn, he falls for her immediately. And becomes most jealous when he realizes that she's with Spike. He knows who Spike is and vows that he won't let Spike hurt Dawn and that they could never have a happy ever after. He swears that if he can't stop them, he'll bring Angel into the mix. 


End file.
